Winter is here. We see it in our skin, hair and nails – the dryness, and the resulting little cracks that will prove to be excellent entrance ways for bad bugs that can lead to winter colds.

How do we spell protection against winter dryness and colds? HYDRATION

Sometimes hydration is only thought of as a summer issue – we are hot, we sweat, and so we remember to drink lots of water and eat water-based foods. We wear hats to shield our hair and skin from the sun and we lather on the moisturizer.

Habits change in the winter. We change from water-based vegetables to winter’s more starchy and less water-based vegetables; we trade raw salads for warm soups; and our iced teas often become hot tea with milk, hot cocoa, and hot cider which translates to: less water, more sodium = DEHYDRATION. Furthermore, we often forget our skin under all those clothes and while sun exposure may not be our issue (though winter sun should not be ignored), heaters/heating have a powerful, drying effect on our skin.

What to do? Follow these tips to improve winter health by way of HYDRATION:

1) Potassium intake: make sure to include potassium-rich foods and beverages which help bring water into our cells for hydration: coconut water (see this video to learn more about coconut water’s hydration benefits: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWOV_WRvVdc), bananas, potatoes, avocado, and even try supplement Ultima Replenisher for travel or in your workout bottle.

2)Sodium intake: be careful with excess sodium which keeps water outside our cells (dehydrating). Make your own soups or look for low-sodium options; use spices versus salt; and when using salt aim for a sea salt that contains an array of minerals; avoid canned and packaged foods where salt is used as a preservative, and choose fresh and frozen options (sodium can still be an issue in these packaged foods so read labels). In general, sodium should be less than 250mg PER serving but in some foods like soups it’s likely to be higher versus others like frozen vegetables where there should be zero. Check the Ashley Koff Approved lists on my site for good choices and always compare products in a category (i.e. cereal, soups etc.). http://www.ashleykoffapproved.com/approved/index.html.

3) Water – yes, you need it…8 glasses or take your weight in pounds and divide it in half and that will give you your daily ounces requirement (if you wight 150 pounds then that’s 75 ounces and there’s 8 ounces in a cup so you need between 9 and 10 cups daily).

4) Oil Up – when you get out of the shower or after you wash your face add some oils like coconut oil or argan oil to your skin to lock in moisture. Also, you can spray a hydrosol on your face in the day and reapply a dot of oil to the nose and lip areas which tend to get dry the quickest. Choose alcohol-free skincare products to avoid extra dryness.

5) Shroom ‘n Good Bugs: Yup, adding mushrooms like maitake and shitake to the diet or taking a daily supplement like LifeShield from New Chapter are great ways to boost your immune system. Also, consume probiotic-rich foods like coconut water kefir and cultured veggies as well as taking a supplement (I recommend and work with Align).

This past weekend could have been a recipe for disaster and dissatisfaction. I was thrilled to join a panel of the amazing Dr. Greene (Feeding Baby Green), Anna Getty (Easy, Green, Organic) and Anni Daulter (Organically Raised) at Whole Child Whole Planet Expo to help parents navigate better food choices for their kids (and themselves). However, my participation meant the dreaded red eye to NYC so that I’d make NYC Grows with events and booths from my friends at Nature’s Path, Organic Valley, and Rodale (Organic Gardening magazine and Maria Rodale’s new book –Organic Manifesto). Let me be clear, for all reasons health and sanity, after age 30, I made it a core policy to not take red eyes. And that said, what unfolded, with a little help from my own AKA flight kit tips, proved to be one of the most energizing experiences. It had everything to do with my prep and my recovery being organic fare, even the AKA flight kit remedies are organic too. Gee, I bet Mother Nature never knew that her bounty would be promoted as the solution to red eye travel recovery. (more…)

Since helping with the launch of coconut water here in the US, I’ve wanted everyone to know about the benefits of this “Nature’s Gatorade.” And just last week the Wall Street Journal covered the growth and popularity of the product.

Thus, you can imagine how SAD and MAD I became when I recently saw the new product launches by ONE coconut water. Are these just naturally flavored coconut waters? No!

Soooo NOT-AKA.

These new products now contain Cane Juice – a fancy name for sugar. What was always good about coconut water was that it was a diluted source of natural sugar – we only got what nature intended for us, natural sugar plus electrolytes. With these new products, ONE enters the world of sugared beverages, a definite NO on the path of nutrition for optimal health. So much research and medical anecdotal evidence today points to the fact that added sugar, especially in the beverage form puts us at risk for obesity, is negative for our immune system, negatively effects triglyceride levels as well as insulin sensitivity, and may irritate the digestive system.

AKA recommends skipping these beverages and sticking with the original, plain coconut water. You can always add your own frozen (so they are like ice cubes) organic berries or fruit to it for some extra sweetness and antioxidants- from nature.